west

¹ American  

[west] / wɛst /

noun

1. a cardinal point of the compass, 90° to the left when facing north, corresponding to the point where the sun is seen to set. W

2. the direction in which this point lies.

3. (usually initial capital letter) a region or territory situated in this direction, especially the western part of the U.S., as distinguished from the East.

   a vacation trip through the West.

4. the West,

   1. the western part of the world, as distinguished from the East or Orient; the Occident.

   2. the non-Communist countries of Western Europe and the Americas.

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adjective

1. directed or proceeding toward the west.

2. coming from the west.

   a west wind.

3. lying toward or situated in the west.

4. Ecclesiastical. designating, lying toward, or in that part of a church opposite to and farthest from the altar.

adverb

1. to, toward, or in the west.

   The car headed west.

2. from the west.

   The wind blew west.

idioms

1. go west, to die.

West ² American  

[west] / wɛst /

noun

1. Benjamin, 1738–1820, U.S. painter, in England after 1763.

2. Jerome Alan Jerry, born 1938, U.S. basketball player, coach, and executive.

3. Mae, 1893–1980, U.S. actress.

4. Nathanael Nathan Wallenstein Weinstein, 1902?–40, U.S. novelist.

5. Paul, 1930–2015, U.S. poet, essayist, and novelist, born in England.

6. Dame Rebecca Cicily Isabel Fairfield Andrews, 1892–1983, English novelist, journalist, and critic, born in Ireland.

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West. ³ American  

Or west.

abbreviation

1. western.

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west ¹ British  

/ wɛst /

noun

1. one of the four cardinal points of the compass, 270° clockwise from north and 180° from east

2. the direction along a parallel towards the sunset, at 270° clockwise from north

3. (often capital) any area lying in or towards the west

4. cards (usually capital) the player or position at the table corresponding to west on the compass

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adjective

1. situated in, moving towards, or facing the west

2. (esp of the wind) from the west

adverb

1. in, to, or towards the west

2. archaic (of the wind) from the west

3. informal

   1. to be lost or destroyed irrevocably

   2. to die

West ² British  

/ wɛst /

noun

1. the western part of the world contrasted historically and culturally with the East or Orient; the Occident

2. (formerly) the non-Communist countries of Europe and America contrasted with the Communist states of the East Compare East

3. 1. that part of the US lying approximately to the west of the Mississippi

   2. (during the Colonial period) the region outside the 13 colonies, lying mainly to the west of the Alleghenies

4. (in the ancient and medieval world) the Western Roman Empire and, later, the Holy Roman Empire

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adjective

1. 1. of or denoting the western part of a specified country, area, etc

   2. ( as part of a name )

      the West Coast

ˈWest ³ British  

/ wɛst /

noun

1. Benjamin. 1738–1820, US painter, in England from 1763

2. Kanye , born 1977, US rap singer and producer; his albums include The College Dropout (2004) and Graduation (2007)

3. Mae. 1892–1980, US film actress

4. Nathanael, real name Nathan Weinstein. 1903–40, US novelist: author of Miss Lonely-Hearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939)

5. Dame Rebecca, real name Cicily Isabel Andrews (née Fairfield ). 1892–1983, British journalist, novelist, and critic

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west More Idioms  

1. see go west.

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Etymology

Origin of west

First recorded before 900; from Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German west, Old Norse vestr; compare French ouest, Old French from Old English

Example Sentences

In the area around a bridge west of Tehran that was targeted by the United States, an AFP reporter saw a villa and residential buildings with blown-out windows, but no military installations.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

The Met Office has three separate yellow wind warnings for Scotland, external, with snow to hit the west Highlands, Argyll and the Western Isles.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Residents north of John F. Kennedy Drive and west of Sinclair Street and Redlands Boulevard were under an evacuation warning as of 1 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

With the invention of an efficient cotton gin in the 1790s, cotton planting spread rapidly across the Deep South as far west as Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

East to west, a crack tore the mountain apart.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone